Commercial sites on the Internet (in particular on the World Wide Web) are known. Typically, Web sites where merchandise or services can be purchased consist of a static description of the goods or services being offered, the price at which such goods or services are being offered, and some type of order form for a customer to enter personal and payment information. Similarly, Web sites soliciting merchandise and services consist of a static description of the goods or services sought, the price at which such goods or services will be purchased at, and some type of order form for a seller to enter personal information.
Such sites are not well suited for the purchase of goods or services that are negotiable, including unique, surplus, high-volume or discontinued items, or negotiable services. The known commercial Web sites are interactive only to the extent that a customer is able to choose a particular item for purchase and to enter payment and shipment information. Such Web sites include so-called “auction” sites such as NetMarket.RTM. (www.netmarket.com), in which users may consecutively enter prices they are willing to pay for specific products, until a set deadline, thus bidding up the price. The product is then sold to the customer with the highest bid. Such “auction” Web sites do not allow the user to negotiate with the vendor, or vice versa. Consequently, there is no manner by which negotiation can take place between the seller and the customer.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a dynamic and interactive computer-implemented system which is capable of purchasing, through a distributed network such as the Internet, goods and/or services that have negotiable prices.